Etcetera
by virdi-avis
Summary: This is a series of drabbles. Just small ideas that I want to write out. Mostly VanVen, but there may be others.
1. It's a Small World

**AN: So this idea came about when I had been reading boards on Kh13. I thought it was just a really short and random idea, but I wanted to write it nonetheless. VanVen. Also, if the young age isn't obvious while reading, Van and Ven are ten here. I adore stories where the KH characters are younger, so yeah. :3**

"So, what do you wanna do next, Vanitas?" Three times Ventus has asked the question.

Vanitas feigns interest in a poster besides him. The colors, like everything else in the town, are bright and colorful. Disgusting. He makes out the bold letters, 'Dream Festival'. It was the yearly event held in Disney Town, where they were now. He hears hears his name again, and gives his fourth answer.

"Nothing."

Ventus frowns. "Really? But there's still a lot of time left for us to play! There has to be something you want to do!"

"Well, there is one thing."

The blonde perks up when he sees Vanitas wave his finger, and he walks up to him. Closer, closer.

"What...what is it?"

The raven-haired grabs Ventus by the hair and slams his face into wall behind him. The boy falls back on the ground, wailing and clutching his nose.

"What was that for?!"

Vanitas grins. "I like watching you bleed."

"There you go again, saying weird stuff. This is why master Eraqus wants you to hang out with me!"

"Yeah, we could've gone to Neverland or something, but I guess kiddie-ville had to do."

Ventus hated Vanitas always acting like this. He just wanted to get to know him better. Just wanted to be his friend.

"Yeah, well, news flash—we're kids."

"No, Ventus, we're mice, look around us."

He knows he's being sarcastic, but Ventus does it anyway. Cows, ducks, it might as well have been a farm. Bystanders were all around them now, having taken notice of them after the display of violence.

"Hey, you leave Ven alone!"

Vanitas scoffs. _Great, the duck in the red hat is talking now. Wait. Ven?_ Somehow he wasn't surprised Ventus had come to this place before on his own. So like him. He watches Ventus explain something to the duck. He didn't need his cover.

"Whatever. I'm out of here. Enjoy the zoo."

Ventus tries to plead with him, his face contorting with worry, as if he was the one in the wrong. He sighed. He didn't care. Why should he? Little Red Riding Hood is in trouble. The Axeman saves her. No one feels sorry for the wolf that was chopped to bits. Why? Because he was mean, people say. No one wants to understand the wolf at all. He breaks loose from the crowd, running off in a haste down the pavement. He decided he'd ditch Ventus for a few hours. Just until the end of the day. He'd come back, and master Eraqus would be there, waiting to take them home. The attention would all be on Ventus now and he didn't care. Kept telling himself as he wasted the hours away on the steps of the racing court. The sun begins it's course down the sky, and he thinks, _It's about time to go now._ He gets up on his feet and heads back to the square. There, he sees Ventus, the citizens glued to him like flies.

"...No, Huey." Ventus laughed. "I'm telling you, we're friends!" There was a mouse next to him. From her dress Vanitas could tell she was a Queen. He just stands there, staring, wondering if he should go over there.

"I'm not sure how you consider that boy a friend, Ventus. He seems rather mean to me. Are you sure you want to share the award with him?" The Queen said.

Ventus nods. "Of course, Queen Minnie! The ice cream here in Disney Town is the best! There's no way I'd leave here without him trying it!"

Vanitas notices the dessert in his hands, and it's then that Ventus realizes that he's been watching them.

"See? I told you, when he gets like this he just wants to be alone for a little while!"

Vanitas rolls his eyes. _No, you idiot, that's not why I left at all. This place just bores me._

"Look what I got! Wanna try it together?" The blonde wraps his hand around Vanitas', who has an indifferent look on his face.

"Not really." But of course he doesn't mean it. A wolf has to keep up appearances after all.


	2. I'm your what?

Summary: Roxas's head was pounding. He hadn't been in the city more than a week, and things were already chaos. He just wanted to live a normal life. However He wouldn't he be able to do that though, now that he found out that he was the spitting image of the prince, Ventus.

Kingdom Hearts was a land of legend. A mystical sort of place that one would only hear about in fairy tales. And like any such place, it was vast, so vast that it was divided into two parts. One was the Realm of Light and the other, the Realm of Darkness. Roxas would have dismissed the place as fantasy as well, if he was not traveling there in search of a home. He hadn't really known what to expect when coming to this place. All he had ever known was his quiet little island town of Twilight, sheltered from any knowledge of the outside world.

But that had been fine. He had been content just hanging out with his friends, Hayner, Pence, and Olette. He had remembered sitting and eating Seasalt icecream with them, the specialty of the island. He was never sure how such an otherwise dreary and scarce place could make something so delicious, and he relished in it. Relished in the times when he would participate in the struggle tournaments every summer with Hayner, and even after, when Olette would scold them both.

'You two spent so much time struggling', she would say. 'and now look! Our homework assignment is due in a few days. We haven't even started!'

Pence as usual, would hold no disagreements about her discipline. Roxas and Hayner would grimace. 'Homework'. 'Homework' meant summer ending, and summer ending, meant 'school'. The last place they wanted to be. But Roxas knew their summer vacation wouldn't last. Just like his time on the island didn't.

He remembered when his parent pulled him onto the boat.

'We're going to a better place.'

That's what they said.

He didn't know what to think. All he felt was this cold, numb feeling that he couldn't shake. He didn't want to look back as the boat drifted further and further from shore. He was scared if he did, he wouldn't be able to keep the smile he forced for his parents. He hated to do it, but he hated when they acted like they 'cared' about him more. If they had, they would have seen that he wanted to stay on the island more than anything else. What was so wrong with this place? Oh, that's right. It made him happy. His parents never wanted him to be happy. 'A better future?' He scoffed.

His parents told him that they wanted to live as close to the king's palace as possible, or rather, the prince's. It was some place called the Land of Departure. 'This is one of the places that is untouched in Kingdom Hearts' he had been told. As if that would ease any apprehension that he felt. They were supposed to be safe there. That's what he remembered.

Roxas gripped the handle of his struggle bat tighter. Sweat beaded his forehead. Dark purple specs danced along the blood-stains on the floor. Their movements eerie and unnatural.

What in the world were these creatures?

He forced himself to look into the eyes' his assailants. The murderers of his parents. He did not care for their deaths. He was in fact _glad_ that he wouldn't have to worry about them anymore. But he still felt uneasy.

"What do you want?!"

He swiped at them. It felt like he was cutting through air.

The monsters were closing in on him now. There was no way out. Roxas cursed. He was not prepared to die. Eyes closed in reflex as the monsters lunged at him. Just then, a strong light illuminated the space around him. When Roxas opened his eyes again, he saw something standing in front of him. Armor. Was that a knight? But what they held in their hand was not a sword, but in fact, some kind of key. The mysterious figure turned to him.

"Are you alright? You shouldn't ever let your guard down around Unversed."

It was a woman's voice. Roxas was speechless. With only one stroke of her blade, the woman had destroyed all of the creatures.

"I-I'm fine."

The key in the knight's hand disappeared in another flash of light. She took a step toward Roxas, and he instinctively drew back. She saw his nervousness and laughed.

"Don't worry," She said. "I won't hurt you. Actually, I've been _looking_ for you. My name is Aqua."

Blue hair fell from her lifted helmet, and Roxas glanced at the woman's face for the first time. He saw her bright blue eyes and her warm smile that matched. He could not possibly think what this woman would want with him. When he asked, she merely said,

"It would be better if the prince explained it to you."

And so, because where did he even have to go at this point, Roxas followed Aqua to the castle. Even grander than he had anticipated, the rooms inside were decorated with lavish furniture. The floor, polished tile, which he had heard was something scarce to come by in the Land of Departure. They came to a large room with an antique piano, which he guessed, was the living room. He glanced closely at it. Even for it's age, it looked like it had been well taken care of as much as any of the other things in the castle. He wondered, who it was that played it?

"Do you need something?"

The rough voice snapped Roxas from his daze and he looked over to it's source. In the corridor, was a boy his age, dressed in servant's attire. The light from the window behind him cast a faint light that accented his spiked hair, which, was as black as the piano itself. His golden eyes stared back at Roxas suspiciously. Sensing the boy's rude behavior only caused Roxas to glare at him.

"Nah, I'm just sight-seeing with Aqua here."

The boy tried not to show the confusion on his face. Roxas knew he must be thinking, 'For Aqua to bring a child into the castle, it would certainly not be just for 'sight-seeing'. It was for serious business. From the sudden change of expression on his face. He seemed to know what it was, but wouldn't say.

"That's Vanitas."

Roxas turned when he felt Aqua's hand on his shoulder, and he slapped it away. He did not like people touching him. Never had.

Aqua eyed Vanitas.

"Be nice to him, ok? He's been through a lot. Just now-" Roxas coughed, cutting her off. The last thing he wanted her doing was telling Vanitas his life-story. He didn't need nor want anyone to feel sorry for his situation.

"Ah, right! Let's take you to the prince—um-" Aqua's voice trailed off. She realized that she never asked for Roxas's name.

"It's Roxas." He replied.

"Roxas." She said the name warmly, as if they had already become good friends. "Ventus will be pleased to meet you!"

As Roxas continued down the hall with Aqua, he kept wondering, who was Ventus? Before it had even registered that he had walked into the throne room, he was jolted to reality by a loud yell.

"Aqua, you _actually_ found him?!"

Roxas's gasped, as his eyes fell upon the prince's throne. Sitting in it was a boy with dirty blonde, spikey hair. Blue eyes. He looked exactly like him, except for the fact that he was wearing the clothes of royalty. The boy rose excitedly from his seat. Roxas had never seen such a hyperactive kid. He had a ridiculous grin on his face as he surveyed Roxas.

"Wow, you really do look just like me! You're my doppelganger!" Ventus grinned even wider.

He'd been waiting to use that word that Aqua told him about. Thought it was cool. Roxas was confused at the term he used. Hell, he was dumbfounded by this whole situation. What were the chances that the kid who looked just like him also happened to be the prince?

"I'm your what?" He caught himself when he realized how dumb he sounded.

Ventus's eyes sparkled as he said the word again. "Doppelganger! Y'know, like a double! Cool, huh?"

Roxas scowled. He certainly didn't think the idea was cool at all. In fact, it was creepy.

"Well, Prince Ventus, what does my similarity to you have to do with me having been brought here?"

"Glad you asked! Y'see, right now I'm training under Aqua! In order for any prince in Kingdom Hearts to become a king, they have to master," Ventus pulled a key shaped blade, just like Aqua had done before. "how to use this!"

Roxas stared at it incredulously.

"And _that_ is?"

"A keyblade! Since you'll be my doppelganger and all, you'll have to learn how to use one too!"

Roxas was getting irritated. Ventus still hadn't given the reason he wanted to hear.

"Oh, and the reason you're here is so that I can play hookie and not have to tend to my princely duties while I train!" Ventus's tone was smug.

"Ven!" Aqua scolded him. "That's not exactly it, Roxas." She said this apologetically. "While Ventus is training to be a Keyblade Master, he's going to be needing protection, and I can't let anyone know that Ventus is out training when he's not supposed to be. Here, the age at which one can train to be a Keyblade Master seventeen but-"

"We don't have that kind of time! By the time I'm that old, the Realm of Darkness might take over all of Kingdom Hearts! I have to get as the strong as the other Keyblade Masters and protect the Land of Departure! Oh! I know!" Ventus turned Aqua. "Aqua, what if Roxas became my sparring partner! That way, we can both train!"

" _No_ , Ven." There has to be at least one of you on the throne. You can't _both_ be sparring."

Ventus pouted.

"But how am I supposed to get strong faster? I know you won't be able to train me _all_ of the time! You have to help protect the city!"He grumbled. "It's not fair! Sora and Riku came from that tiny little backwash of an island and they became Keyblade Masters already!"

"Correction. Riku did. Sora is still training, just like you, Ventus. And it's not like Riku didn't have help either. He was training under Master Yen Sid. And besides, you remember that the Land of Departure is between the Realm of Light and Darkness, don't you? You're not solely responsible for protecting Kingdom Hearts from danger."

Ventus knew that, but he hated feeling so helpless. He had heard that while the Land of Departure was dealing with the threat of the Unversed, the Realm of Light was dealing with the threat of something called Heartless, unleashed from the Realm of Darkness.

"I know!" Aqua gushed, and the gesture filled Roxas with dread.

Why did he get the feeling he wasn't about to like her idea?

"How about each of you take turns sparring with Vanitas? He's no Keyblade Master, but he actually does practice on his downtime—when he's not playing piano that is. Gotta keep everyone in the castle uptight!"

"That's a great plan, Aqua, but, how do you know Vanitas just won't blow it off? I always think I just bother him when I ask him to spar. How could he possibly want-"

"I'll do it."

Everyone turned to see the servant standing against the frame of the doorway.

"The way I see it, you're both weak as hell. However, if I train you two, _maybe_ , you might stand a chance against the unversed."

Roxas gritted his teeth.

"Weak?! I can put up a pretty good fight!"

Vanitas snorted.

"Yeah, with a stick, no doubt."

This antagonizing was driving Roxas up the wall. How could Ventus even bear to have him as a servant? He knows he would hardly be able to stand him for more than a week or so. Was he actually staying here?

"Great!" Aqua chimed. "Now that that's taken care of, Vanitas can show you to your room."

Roxas was expecting some snide remark or groan from the raven, but he didn't so much as bat an eye.

"Follow me upstairs," He said. "Your room is there."

They began climbing the staircase, Vanitas walking so fast, that the other boy only caught glimpses of the portraits on the wall. Before he knew it, his step had slowed, for Vanitas was already waiting for him at the top.

"Hurry up. I don't have all day for this."

The Raven's seemingly sour mood was not missed when Roxas was left to be in his room. As he had imagined, it was lavish. More than he could have asked for. The bed was easily larger than a queen—unclassed, and he didn't want to fathom how much just the linens themselves cost. He walked over and without even thinking, jumped on it. It was smooth and soft, the pillow already whispering sleep in his ear. But for all of his tiredness, he couldn't get himself to close his eyes. He lay there, awake in bed. The large empty room being his only company.

He told himself that his friends back on the island were safe. Told himself that they hadn't succumbed to some terrible fate—to those creatures.

Yes. They were fine.

At some point, Ventus wouldn't need him anymore right? He wouldn't have to continue this game of back and forth for long after it started. And then, at a moment's notice, he'd take off to go join his friends again. Yes. That is what he would do.

Everything could be like it was before, except—no parents.

His chest stung, and he fought back a fit of panic, as the realization came to him.

He was alone.

 **A/N: This is a rather old idea that I've had. This drabble (Yes drabble. It will be more about interactions, than any sort of plot, unless, something comes to me. :P It'll be multi-chapter, so it doesn't fit into Etcetera.) Mostly Venroku, but there will also be some Vanroku and Vanven moments LOL. I'm currently writing a bit of each of my other in-progress stories as well, so look forward to them being updated soon. (Some quick geography. In this story, there is Kingdom Hearts, and within it, there are two realms, like provinces. There is the Realm of Light and the Realm of Darkness. The Land of Departure sits in-between those two. They're like a small neutral country that isn't in either Realm. Hope that helps with any confusion!)**


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